


Cold mind, blazing heart

by Anonymous



Category: Skate-Leading Stars (Anime)
Genre: First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Post-Canon, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-22 18:27:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,260
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30042888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: If someone asked Shinozaki Reo what he thought of Maeshima Kensei, he'd say two words:  chaotic and inspiring. The loud and annoying redhead, who had taught him to be free, had become someone worthy of being called his "rival".But now, he was the one who had turned his life into a mess.
Relationships: Maeshima Kensei/Shinozaki Reo
Comments: 12
Kudos: 33
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Aaaaaah. Well, hi.
> 
> This is my first work posted on this site :) 
> 
> Honestly, I loved this anime. Maybe it wasn't the spokon of the year, but it was enjoyable and the character design was great. It's a shame there's not more fan content for this fandom, so I wanted to contribute a bit.
> 
> I started writing this fic before last episode, so after today I had to rewrite a lot of scenes lol
> 
> Also, english is not my first language so excuse any mistake you might find orz I'm always open to feedback!
> 
> Enjoy the read!

_“The footwork too…”_

_“Like this! ‘Cause it looks cool.”_

_“Elegant?”_

_“Cool.”_

_“Harmonious?”_

_“Cool!”_

_“That’s too chaotic.”_

_“And you’re so stiff! Geez, Shinozaki. I get that you’re a genius skater and stuff, but you don’t have to be so rigid on your routines! If you go wild every once in a while, you’ll see the difference! Here, I’ll show you.” The skater who beat him, Maeshima Kensei, started to move to prove his point._

_Needless to say, Reo kept to tradition and won their improvised competition easily. Maeshima had beaten him in the finals, he was a worthy rival now, but he still had a lot to learn._

_However, although Reo wouldn’t admit it, Maeshima Kensei had taken something else besides the gold medal at the Grand Prix: his thoughts._

_Now he couldn’t get the redhead out of his head._

* * *

Of course, he’d get his umbrella stolen today.

Of course, he’d get trapped under a store’s marquee with slightly wet clothes clinging to his skin after he decided to leave later than his teammates to train a little more. 

He didn't like to stay still without doing anything. Lately, his mind tended to go back to the same topic: the Grand Prix Finals. 

Ionodai won. They had nothing to lose and decided to gamble and risk the second place to have a slight chance of winning the gold. 

Who would've thought they'd actually succeed and reach the unreachable. 

Ionodai's team and mostly, Maeshima Kensei had surprised him.

Going to the point where his body has given up and had to be dragged back to the rink. Typical of him, to be reckless and irresponsible. 

And yet, Maeshima had made his words a reality and became someone that could beat him.

Despite popular belief, Shinozaki Reo had feelings. Yes, he was bad at expressing them. But he wasn’t as heartless as people thought him to be.

His obsession with ice skating was a different matter. 

And lately, there was something, or better said, someone that had been plaguing his mind ever since the finals. 

He tried to convince himself that the only reason he couldn't stop thinking about the fiery skater was that his routine was far from perfect and he could improve it himself. 

_But you know you're lying to yourself_ his mind would then tell him. 

Reo didn’t want to deal with the implications. 

_“We gave the best presentation we could give, I have no regrets, Shinozaki. So stop moping around and get your ass back to training.”_ It was what his former captain, Himuro Taiga had told him a few days after the Finals.

That was after being bombarded with lots of ' _Are you okay?_ ' from Kurayoshi. 

He certainly didn’t feel like himself lately.

It was everything's the redhead's fault (he was allowed to be petty in this mind, dammit), defeating him at his territory and now playing with his head.

_Damned Maeshima Kensei._

“Aw shit, I'm wet. I hope I don’t get a cold” Reo was so submerged in his thoughts that he didn’t realize someone had turned the corner and decided to stand right beside him to protect themselves from the rain.

That voice, it was familiar. _Too familiar._

No. Nononono. It couldn’t be him.

The albino didn't want to turn his head, but he didn't even need to do it to recognize who was the owner of the voice.

Of _fucking_ course it had to be Maeshima Kensei, also drenched to the bone, trapped under the same marquee, at the same place, at the _same_ time.

Then said annoying redhead decided to turn his head to look at him. 

“Shinozaki?!?” It was the next word spelled by the bothersome skater.

Maybe running into the rain and getting a cold wasn’t a bad idea after all.

He didn't want to deal with this. 

* * *

Shinozaki Reo, the ice prince, the unbeatable genius, the one he had wanted to receive acknowledgement since they were in fifth grade was before him, unfortunately, in the same predicament. 

_It could be worse I guess, like being stuck here with Kuonji._

"So… seems like you got trapped in the rain too?" The redhead said, trying to break the ice, though it might be hard with someone as silent as Shinozaki. 

It took a few seconds in which Kensei thought talking to him wasn't the best idea before the white-haired boy replied. "Yes, I stayed later for training. You too?" 

"Ah, no. I had to go out to do some errands for my grandparents and forgot to check the weather forecast today so I didn't bring an umbrella with me." Maeshima said, lifting his arms to show his sweatshirt was a little wet. He wasn't the most comfortable, but he could manage it, at least until the rain stopped

"Ah, I see" That was all Shinozaki said. _Dammit._ Why was his rival so hard to talk to? They had certainly gotten better at interacting after the Grand Prix Finals, but the more he got to know him the more he realized he sucked at social interactions, which meant he had to do the hard work most of the time. 

It wasn't unpleasant to talk to him, though. 

Being both passionate skaters made their conversations fluid easier, and once the albino dropped his asshole attitude to him, he could give him some useful advice and have fun practicing together. 

And the more he got to know him, the harder it was to deny the fact that:

He was attracted to Shinozaki Reo. 

And it wasn't only as a rival. 

Reo had what Sasugai liked to call ‘the eternal resting bitch face’ (he couldn’t help snickering every time he heard it). But he wasn’t ugly.

He had pale hair and pale skin, with a pretty face to match, a delicate but strong skater figure, and what he liked the most, a pair of bright blue eyes that shone every time they talked about their shared passion. 

And he knew he wasn't the only one who thought the same. 

More than once he had heard from fellow skaters comments about Shinozaki's beauty and about how they'd 'definitely tap that ass'. 

Frankly, most of those comments were kinda gross so he tried to ignore them. 

But he was aware his rival was popular between both genders. He tended to ignore the feeling in his stomach whenever that thought crossed his mind.

But well, he better stopped his train of thoughts, or he'd end up embarrassing himself. 

And anyway, since it's been a while since the last time he saw his rival, he'd better wouldn't let the chance to ask what has been in his mind go to waste. 

"So Shinozaki, I've heard you've been acting strangely on practices" 

"Strange?" Reo turned his gaze to look at him. "How so?" 

"Well, you know that Tomo and Himuro are neighbors, so we hear sometimes how your team is doing. It's not like your performance is getting worse or anything, it's just like you're carrying a 'different aura' " The redhead said while moving his fingers into a quote movement in the last two words. "Also, while it's not mandatory, I hadn't seen you around lately when Sasugai rented the rink for me to train my jumps." 

It had also become a routine, he had no idea how, but Shinozaki always knew whenever they went to train privately and would show up to join them. 

Well, it was a routine, until a few days ago.

"I've just been busy with training, remember that I'm in the national team, Maeshima" He had to brag about being chosen, the jerk. 

"You know that's bullshit, Shinozaki. You've been training with the national team for a while and that never stopped you from showing up unannounced whenever I was solo training." 

"I would do it when I had free time, but I. Am. _Busy_. I don’t know what else you want me to tell you.” 

Kensei knew their conversation was going nowhere, but he still had to _try_ , he wanted to know what was going on in the albino’s head.

“Alright, never mind, just tell me, is it true that you’ve been acting weird? I hadn’t seen you so I can’t know for sure.” The redhead wanted to add _‘Because you didn't care to see me.’_ , but he didn’t want to scare his rival. “What’s going on?”

“None of your business.” The albino replied and his tone of voice made it clear that he wasn’t going to talk more about the topic.

“Ugh, you’re a lost cause. Here I was worried about you.” The redhead pouted, crossing his arms. 

Shinozaki stayed silent, as usual, however, he saw his rival slightly widen his eyes, it wouldn’t be noticeable for the average person, but he was getting better at reading. Almost like an interpreter for the Chutei’s twins.

_Oh, maybe if I tell him…_

"You're still amazing, you know"

“... What?” Now Reo was looking at him, slightly surprised. It was kind of cute, to be honest.

Kensei knew he was going to embarrass himself, but well, screw it. The albino had to hear him.

“Well, yeah, our team won, but our scores were incredibly close, and honestly, it’d be incredibly stupid if you were salty because you lost _once_ , ‘cause c’mon, it’s been _weeks_ since the Finals.” He noticed he was starting to piss off the white-haired boy so he decided to continue. “And w-well, you’re still an inspiration, you know? You were the unreachable rival I’ve been wanting to beat since I was a child, and, lately, I’ve gotten to know the Shinozaki Reo behind your ice prince persona, which hasn't changed at all. You’re still what I strive to be.”

His rival had dropped his 'resting bitch face'. He hoped he had gotten some sense into him. 

“So please, don’t let something like this discourage you, don’t make the same mistake I did.”

They stayed silent for a few seconds that seemed to drag forever until the white-haired boy opened his mouth to talk. 

“I appreciate your concern, Maeshima Kensei. However, you’re wrong. I’m not, as any of you seem to think, a sore loser. The Grand Prix wasn’t my ultimate goal, I aspire for the world, being in the national team is just a step to reach what I want. It has nothing to do with the Finals, so I’d be thankful if you drop it.”

“So something is going on.”

“Again, _none_ of your business.” Reo said. 

“Alright, alright. I’m sorry for assuming the worst.” Maeshima raised his hand to scratch his head. “I just… well, I guess I must look like an idiot now, right?”

“You’ve always been one Maeshima, but not this time. You expressed what you felt open, it’s your expressiveness, something that I’ve always admired from you.”

“Wait, you’ve always admired me?!? Why is it the first time I heard that!” The redhead asked loudly. 

“No need to scream." Reo said, raising his left hand to cover his ear. "Since you decided today was a good moment to confess your feelings, then I thought I might return the gesture as best as I could.”

“Ugh, why do you have to say like that…” Maeshima made an enormous effort to stop a blush from appearing on his face. And, judging by the subtle smile on Shinozaki’s face, he knew the albino did it one hundred percent on purpose.

_The audacity._

He was incredibly ashamed now, but at the same time, he felt happiness bubbling in the pit of his stomach. He missed _this,_ their bickering, their mutual need to defeat the other. Inside and outside the rink.”

Hell, he missed Reo _so much._

It was that feeling that drove him to make another reckless decision.

Maybe it was the feelings he kept bottled up finally exploding, maybe it was the talk they just had, maybe it was Reo looking incredibly pretty under the rain, maybe a combination of everything. Maeshima didn’t have an idea, but he felt dizzy and before he could stop his body, he had already grabbed Shinozaki’s wrist and had pulled him towards him.

He realized what he had done until he had a hand touching his rival’s face, and a pair of soft lips on his. 

It was like he had imagined. The albino’s skin and lips were as soft as they looked, and he didn’t need to open his eyes to know Reo was showing him an expression he had never seen before. 

He half-expected Shinozaki to push him (and maybe punch him). Instead, the only reaction he got was a tiny gasp coming from his mouth, and the ghost of a hand brushing over his arm.

Not a sign of reciprocity, but not one of disgust or rejection either. _Why?_

He wasn’t sure how much time their kiss lasted, it could be a few minutes, five seconds, an entire lifetime, his hazy mind didn’t have a notion of time at the moment. All he was sure at the moment was that he didn’t want this moment to never end...

But they were humans after all, so they had a limit they could have without breathing before their lungs begged for oxygen.

Kensei broke their kiss, but he didn’t dare to open his eyes, only hearing the sound of their heavy breaths. Shinozaki hadn’t moved either, since he could still feel Reo’s face in his hand.

He slowly set his rival free. Taking a step behind. And only then, he opened his eyes.

Maeshima didn’t expect the sight.

Shinozaki’s eyes were wide in shock, his mouth half-open and his cheeks were as red as his hair. He was _blushing_. He couldn’t remember another time he had seen him blush. The red hue slowly reached his ears and neck. 

It was a sight he wanted to remember forever.

And he was sure his face looked the same since he could feel his cheeks burning.

Well, now he had messed up. 

“Shinozaki, I-I…” Kensei couldn’t even talk. All he was sure was his body was begging him to run. To escape the disgust that would soon appear on Shinozaki’s face, to escape the heartbreak.

So he obeyed. The redhead spun around and ran into the rain as fast as he could. Colds be damned.

He didn’t hear any footsteps coming behind him.

It was better that way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, here is chapter 2! Thank you so much to everyone who left nice comments, it made me really happy! :3
> 
> Enjoy the read!
> 
> (Also, I apologize if they curse too much, teenagers and stuff).

Two weeks. 

Two weeks, after their brief reunion, his rival thought it was the best idea in the world to pull his arm and _kiss him_. 

Two weeks, Maeshima Kensei had been hiding from _him_. 

Shinozaki Reo was lying in his bed, unable to fall asleep. He had been sleeping poorly, since, what he had named, ´the event´. 

However, the white-haired boy hadn’t looked for his rival immediately after their last meeting. Frankly, the first week he had been too stunned by the fact that Maeshima, the chaotic redhead who had disappeared from the skating world for five years and had come back _only_ to beat him, harbored that kind of feeling for him.

Or didn’t he? The fact that his rival had run away after kissing him confused him even more.

His head was already a mess.

If he had to be honest, the kiss had felt… _nice._ Maeshima’s lips were chapped (he should take more care of himself, the idiot) but the pressure felt good, and the red-haired had held his face with such care that he could swear his heart skipped a beat. It had been unsolicited and he had been too shocked to react, but the kiss hadn’t been unpleasant. 

And now his thoughts related to the redhead were even more chaotic. 

What he was feeling for Maeshima could be only admiration? Or maybe, something stronger?

Reo wasn’t sure and honestly, if Maeshima was just playing with him, he saw no point thinking further that route.

Maybe this was Maeshima’s objective? To mess with his head so he’d have a poor performance on his routines? And it was affecting him in training.

It’s not like he was failing his jumps or anything, but he _knew_ he wasn’t doing it as perfectly as he was used to. His teammates noticed too. While they wouldn’t say it, from seeing Kurayoshi’s face, he knew they were even more worried about him.

 _But we hadn’t seen each other to train and our schools don’t have a competition soon._ He thought. It’d wouldn’t make sense, yet he couldn’t shake the thought outside of his head.

He wasn’t sure why that made him feel a little sick in the stomach.

It’s not like he hadn’t tried to find Maeshima. He _did_. He’d start training before anyone else so he had the chance to leave earlier and go to Ionodai to look for him. Maeshima’s teammates, Hayato included, would tell him every time that he had left training early or that he hadn’t even bothered to attend.

He wondered if they knew about what happened and were lying to cover for him. Though he doubted it, Hayato wouldn’t let it rest if he knew.

* * *

_The albino had been so insistent to find Maeshima, that his brother had cornered him to ask him the reason for his continuous visits._

_“So, what is your business with Maeshima, big brother?” He had asked him. Hayato looked pissed off of seeing him so often. But Reo was so used to seeing his half-brother annoyed that he didn’t care._

_“I need to talk to him." Reo replied,_

_“Alright, but why? Full offense, seeing you around so often is getting on my nerves.”_

_“I-” The albino couldn’t tell his brother what had happened, he just couldn’t. “I can’t tell you, Hayato, I’m sorry.”_

_“Tch, if you have so much urgency you should just call or send him a text.” Reo was going to tell him Maeshima wouldn’t answer anyway if he had his number, but the blond continued. “Maybe he doesn’t want to know anything about you.”_

_Reo lowered his gaze to the ground. The last sentence made him feel a pang in his chest. Maybe he was right, maybe it was the end. He just didn’t know what to do anymore._

_“Hey hey hey, I was joking, no need to put that face.” Hayato raised his hands with surprise. He didn’t know what kind of expression he had, but he guessed it wasn’t pretty._

_“Listen, big brother. Maeshima had caught a cold so he stayed in bed for a few days, he looked like crap. And they say idiots don’t catch a cold” Hayato snickered. “And this week he has been leaving training early. No one is lying for him if that’s what you were thinking. Honestly, I don’t know what the fuck is going on with him too, he is failing his jumps and his mind seems to be everywhere but training. Now I see that whatever’s going on with him has to do with you. So I’d suggest you skip training tomorrow so you find him when you come and I’ll make sure he doesn’t run away. You both need to put your shit together._

_Reo couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his face._

_“Thank you, Hayato.”_

* * *

_Tomorrow,_ Reo has decided. He’d take drastic measures and go straight to Ionodai after classes ended so the other couldn’t hide from him. 

This was the last shot he’d give to fix whatever that happened between both of them. If he couldn’t find his rival, he promised himself that he’d get over the other and focus on his skating. He wouldn’t let his feelings affect his performance anymore.

As much as the thought of drifting apart from Maeshima again made him feel sad, he couldn’t find another solution if the redhead refused to talk to him.

It would be for the best.

* * *

As Hayato suggested, once classes had ended, he skipped training and went to the public rink where he knew Ionodai’s team trained. He knew Himuro would scold him later, but honestly, he didn’t care too much about that at the moment.

As he approached the rink, he could see some of Ionodai’s team members stretching. At the other side of the rink was his objective; the chaotic redhead, arguing with his younger brother, and who seemed to be their captain.

_There you are, Maeshima Kensei._

As he approached the group, he saw all of them turning their heads towards him.

“Oh it’s you, Shinozaki-kun!” One of Maeshima’s teammates, a freckled boy whose name Reo didn’t remember, said. “I’m guessing you’re looking for Ken-chan, right?”

“Yeah, I’m looking for Maeshima.” The albino nodded.

“You’re on luck today! He’s been leaving training early, but Sasugai has been nagging him to make up for his performance lately.” So Hayato stopped him from hiding. He owed his brother one. Freckled-boy put his hand around his mouth and screamed. “Ken-chan! Shinozaki-kun has come to see you!”

He could see Maeshima’s body go rigid, If he wasn’t on the rink he had probably run away. 

But he turned eventually, and with his gaze looking at the ground, eventually reached him.

“Yo, Shinozaki.” The redhead raised his hand to greet him. He got out of the rink and sat on a bench to put on his sneakers. He still refused to look at him. “What can I help you with?” 

“I’ve come to talk about the last time we saw each other, Maeshima. You’ve been _avoiding_ me.” The albino crossed his arms. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Ionodai’s team, but his rival wasn’t helping. “Don’t look at me like that, you know what I’m talking about.”

“Geez, just let it go, don’t you? It was a mistake, if you came for an apology, then _I’m sorry"_ Maeshima stood up and looked at his rival in the eyes. “I didn’t think it’d affect you so much.”

“Of course it would Maeshima!” Reo exclaimed, raising his voice. Ugh, everyone was looking at them. The red-haired idiot certainly could make him lose his temper. “You can’t expect me to sit quietly and accept what you did and then get no explanation!”

“What did you do to the ice prince, Maeshima?” One of Ionodai’s team guards said, in a mocking tone.

“Shut up Jounouchi!”

“Maeshima, you’re already giving us problems, the least we need is you harassing another team’s members.” The glasses guy, who Shinozaki recognized as their vice-captain, added.

“Kiriyama-senpai, it’s not what you think!” The redhead screamed, with a blush almost as red as his hair. “Ugh, we can’t talk here, I’m leaving early Sho-chan! I promise I’ll make up to you tomorrow!” 

Maeshima rapidly took his bag and with the other hand grabbed Reo’s wrist to pull him and follow him.

It wasn’t until they were a few meters outside the public rink that Shinozaki stopped “Where are we going Maeshima?” He asked.

“My house.” Maeshima replied, turning to look at him, only then he released the albino’s wrist “Listen, I’m not going to pull any weird shit or something, I promise. I just can’t think of a place private enough to talk and we’re kinda close.”

The white-haired boy just nodded, and let Maeshima show the way back to his house. 

  
  


* * *

He was an idiot.

The biggest idiot in the history of idiots.

Honestly, what did he expect? It was obvious that eventually, Shinozaki would come to talk to him, and since they were in the same circles, he wouldn’t be able to avoid it. 

After their kiss, Maeshima ran to his house and locked himself in his room to analyze what the fuck he had done. He had ruined the weird friendship-rivalry relationship he had with Shinozaki, for a _stupid_ kiss (his first kiss, a marvelous one mind you, but stupid nonetheless).

The next day he woke up with a cold that kept him in bed for almost a week, it made him feel guilty, the last thing he wanted to do was to worry his grandparents. And being stuck in bed forced him to think the whole day about his crush on his rival.

And then things started to get worse. He was so submerged in his thoughts that he couldn’t focus on training and he was failing all his jumps. The first days after he recovered, he was so frustrated that he started leaving training early, despite his teammates' protests. He knew he wasn’t being of use anyway.

Then he heard from Tomo that Shinozaki had come the previous day looking for him. He kept leaving early out of fear that the albino would see him.

He knows he has handled the situation poorly and that led them to argue in front of his teammates. _Ugh, they won’t leave me alone tomorrow._

The rivals went all the way to his house in silence, and really, he was grateful. He wasn’t sure his heart would be able to deal with their conversation without preparation.

They reached his home, introduced Reo to his grandparents as his ‘friend’, and then went upstairs to his room (thank god he had decided to clean his room yesterday or he’d be beyond embarrassed). He threw himself in his bed and hid his face in his pillow while Reo sat on the chair in front of his desk. 

They didn’t dare to make a sound for some minutes which felt like an eternity until Maeshima decided to talk.

“Listen, Shinozaki, I’m sorry.” The redhead said, raising his head from the pillow. “I’m sorry for everything. For kissing you, and for hiding from you these two weeks, well, actually just one since being sick got me stuck in my bed.”

“Don’t forget running away like a coward” The albino furrowed his brows, while his gaze was down, looking at his hands. 

“Hey, I’m not a coward, okay maybe I ran away but that was in the spur of the moment and I was going to talk to you once I was sure you weren’t going to sue me or something. I’m sorry for that too.”

Shinozaki raised his head to look at him and _damn_ , now the albino had a distressed expression he had never seen before. “I just want to know Maeshima. Why did you do it? Was this some kind of elaborate plan?”

"Wait wait wait." The redhead interrupted his rival, now getting up from the bed to sit directly in front of the other. "Whatever you're thinking, you're wrong. I didn't kiss to destabilize you and beat you in a competition or any bullshit like that. You think I’d do something so low?”

The albino slightly shook his head. But Maeshima was sure Shinozaki had thought of the possibility.

“... Then _why_?” The albino asked, almost like a whisper, if Maeshina hadn't been that close to him, he wouldn’t have heard it.

“Why what?” He just hoped Shinozaki didn’t mean what he thought he meant.

“Why did you kiss me?”

 _Well, there it was._ Kensei thought. He’d know he’d eventually have to confront Shinozaki, and the truth about his feelings would come out. 

If his rival thought he was disgusting and didn’t want to know anything about him, then he’d have to deal with it.

“Because… I like you. I’ve always admired you, Shinozaki, since we were kids, I always wanted you to see me as your equal. You know, when we reunited again I thought you had become a pompous ass. But the more I got to know you, the more I realized I was wrong. You’re someone who has worked harder than anyone else to get where you are. You’re terrible at social interactions, but you worry about the people important to you. And, have you seen yourself in the mirror? You’re _gorgeous_. So yeah, I like you. And listen, you’re in no way obligated to return my feelings and if you don’t want to know anything about me anymore I wouldn’t blame you!”

“You... like me?”

“Yeah.”

“You like me.”

“Yeah?”

“You mean, as a rival?.”

“Goddamn Shinozaki, NO.” Maeshima replied while moving a hand to his face. How could he be so dense? “I mean romantically.”

“Oh.” His rival said and now the redhead could see a blush forming on his cheeks. Aaah, Reo did blush so prettily. His skin and hair were pale so the red on his cheeks would pop even more, and he looked so cute with his widened eyes, gosh, he wanted to make him blush more. “I-I don't know what to say, Maeshima.”

Kensei could feel a pang in his chest, of course, Reo didn’t feel the same way. “Hey, as I said, don’t feel obligated to return my feelings! I just wanted you to know that I like you and I’m sorry for being an idiot and-”

“Let me finish.” The albino raised his hand. “I’m bad at expressing my feelings, but I’ll do my best to explain. I’ve always admired you too, Maeshima. When you said you wanted to beat me, you sounded like everyone else, it made me sad. But I saw how your words became a reality and I couldn’t get you out of my head, and then the kiss made it worse. But still, it was nice, being with you is nice.”

Maeshima moved his hand to his chin, translating what he had just heard. “What you mean is, you might like me but, since you never had romantic feelings for someone you’re not sure, however, one thing you know is that I’m important to you?”

“Yes.”

“Wow. Yeah, you suck at expressing your feelings.”

“I just told you, Maeshima. And anyway” Shinozaki leaned forward so he could touch the other’s arm. “What I know is, I don’t want you to avoid me again, it was affecting my performance."

“Heh, of course you idiot would worry about your skating. I promise I won't do it again.” The redhead scratched his cheek with his finger, doing his best to ignore the fuzzy feeling he had from Reo touching his arm. “Listen, Shinozaki. I want to be with _you_. Not just like rivals. We could try it if you want. No pressure, take your time to decide what you feel for me.”

He moved his hand over the white-haired’s one. Shinozaki’s eyes were shining, he nodded.

“Also, can we drop calling each other by our last names?” The redhead said, with an uncomfortable smile. “I’d like to think at this point we’d fall under the category of friends who like each other, at least.”

“… I get what you’re saying.” His rival said, leaning back into the chair, Kensei already missed the contact. “But it’s still too soon to call me by my first name.”

“Tch, then I won’t, _Shinozaki._ ” The redhead replied, annoyed. He wasn’t going to listen to his rival, anyway. “I just think that calling you ‘the pompous ass I’ve come to like’ would be annoyingly long and a waste of saliva.” 

“Then you can call me something like _’the frozen one’._ ”

“W-Was that a pun? Haha, god, you’re terrible." Kensei said between laughs. "I can't believe I like you!” 

He saw the other smile and _oh no_ , he was going to faint, Reo’s smiling was pretty. “Very well. I shall call you as you wish… _Kensei_ ” Reo replied. 

Hell, now he was the one blushing, he loved the sound of his name from his lips.

“Thank you very much, you’ll see it would be for the best… _Reo."_ Screw Shinozaki’s wishes, he would call him by his first name, just because annoying him was his passion.

He had the feeling that Reo didn’t mind anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet Reo searched on google ice related puns for that joke (cause I did)


End file.
